Jim's Mysterious Girl
by BobWhite
Summary: Young Jim Younger met a girl his age before his older brothers and cousins returned from the war and they became very close. What happens when she finds him and the gang after their last thievery? Will Jim be shot (like in the movie)? Or will the young girl and her 'pets' keep him safe from any harm? Full summary Inside. R&R 2 find out more.


**Full Summary:**

They met before Jim joined the gang, before his brothers and cousins came back from the war. At first, nothing happened between them; then they grew close. Jim knew her as Malia, an orphan who lived and worked around town. He never knew where she slept or where she even lived, just that she had some strange animal friends. He'd seen one of her friends once, when things had gotten serious between them. What happens when Malia tracks him down after the Gang's latest thievery? Will she help them get away? And why does she not ride a horse?

 **Before The Gang:**

He happened upon her on accident, running an errand for his ma. He never thought he'd meet someone like her in a town like this, but he was happy to have met her. Her clothing was different from the other girls in town, as if she had just come from some long journey. She never really told him where she was from, only that she didn't have any family around, which he took to mean that she was an orphan. She wore pants like a man did only she had what looked like a dress over the top and cut short. Her boots went nearly to her knees and her black hair was always braided. She always had a smile on her face when he saw her.

They got close during the months that came. He let her know his name was Jim Younger and she let him know that her name was Malia Thundercloud. He assumed that she was Native American by her name. He never thought that where she came from, Native American last names were as common as Younger was here. He'd go out on errands for his ma or she come to the house and help out in any way she could. Mrs. Younger couldn't pay much in the way of money, but Malia never complained. She took what she was given, which was mostly food and lunch during the days she worked on the Ranch. Malia was as hard a worker as any of the men around town were. She did just about anything any of the men did. And Mrs. Younger could tell that Jim and Malia were growing closer.

The only time she ever asked the young girl to stay the night; Malia had declined, saying that she needed to get back to her home, that she had pets that needed to be taken care of. Mrs. Younger never asked what sort of pets couldn't be alone for one night, she assumed that they were very young so she let the girl go along on her way, but sent some food with her. Malia was aware that most of the townsfolk thought her a little crazy, but she didn't care. She didn't need their approval. She was only in town because she needed the money that she was making to buy what she needed to stay alive. And that mostly went to buying a horse or two. She was going to use the horses when the time came to leave the town and head off on her own. One of the horses would be a pack horse and the other would be for riding.

Jim and Malia became inseparable one month before Jim's older brothers and cousins came back from the war. She showed him a little bit about her life and he kept her secret, going one step farther and helping her get the things she needed to lead a life on the trails, away from most towns. She never really told him the extent of what she was going to be doing when she left town, only that it was necessary for her to leave at some point. The day they decided to take things to the next level in their relationship was the day the first farmer was hanged for not selling his land to the railroad. He was upset; hell she was upset as well. They went to a secluded area in the mountains, near where she was living, and started talking at first. Then, they took things a bit farther, well a lot farther than they had ever gone before.

When everything was said and done, Jim felt a little better but he could tell that Malia was still upset, like justice needed to be had for those that hung the rancher. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her that everything would work itself out sooner or later. They got dressed and headed towards where Malia was staying. They stayed there the rest of the day as the rain came down. Mrs. Younger knew that Jim was hanging out with Malia that day so they stayed together. The little pets that Malia took care of grew fond of Jim and how he treated their mother. Every time Jim came around, they would mill about his feet and cry to be petted.

When the time came that Jim's older brothers came home, they thundered threw town and headed to their respective homes, heading to see their families. Jim was with Malia in the mountains so he didn't know that his brothers had come home. Malia's pets were old enough to fend for themselves now, but knew better to not leave the mountains. Jim and Malia were heading down to the Younger house for the night. This would be the first time that Malia would be staying over at the Younger house so she was packing some clothes and belongings that she would need for the night.

As they made their way down the mountain, Malia looked back once and saw her pets cry for her. They somehow knew that they would not see their mother until the next day so they had to fend for themselves. Malia looked forward once again and followed Jim to his homestead. Jim being in the lead, Malia was able to see just how much she had come to respect the young man whom she had fallen in love with. They may have made love once or twice (on the same day), but they had never talked about their feelings towards each other. Malia caught up with Jim as they came off the mountain and headed onto his family's farm. The Younger family was already in the swing of things. His cousins and their mother were with the Younger family. As the pair rode up, all family members that hadn't known Malia and gotten to know her looked up at them. His older brother's had smiles on their faces as the two dismounted and tied their horses up.

How would the rest of the family react to seeing Malia? And will Jim understand his feelings towards Malia after he leave with his brothers and cousins to become an outlaw gang?

 _ **More to come in next chapter…**_

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